First then dayes, that is da—yes, why should not yes spell yes at the end, as well as at the beginning of a word: Again, why might we not spell dayes thus, daise as well as praise, and spell praises, prayes, da—i—se: I see day, why not se, see, as well as he, h—? And why not dase, dayes, and phrayes, phrase, or phraise, phrase, and daze, dayes; and why not daze, or dase, daisey, or daisy, hei, daisy: how can Ladies be blam’d for Writing bad English, when Scholars spell no better?
A, as Asia, why not da; fare and ware; how can one Vowel have another, at command to make it long; a circumflex might do it. But you answer it is our custom, and Books would not be read if we change the spelling; but is there not a right spelling as Ancient as wrong? Is not the as ancient as weigh, yea, sea, holy, key. Then ’tis wit to use the proper spelling, and leave off impertinencies; and if fewer Letters will serve the turn, ’twill save Paper and Ink, and ’tis strange, if not labour too, for Writers; no doubt for Teachers it will.
And how many ways do we pronounce you? yo, yau, yeu, yiu, you, yuu, yet every dialect praise their own Speech, nay in Towns near together, nay in the same Town, nay in the same House, persons born in other places, differ in pronounciation, and many delight to hear different dialects (as the Grecians did) so they did but understand one another, though some precise Females do condemn all but their own finical pronunciation.
But why should phrase be spell’d with ph and s, and not f and z? Because you say its Original is a Greek word: But it hath been long enough freely us’d amongst us, that it may claim prescription for a Licence to put on the English garb, and suits pretty well with the Original φραζω and hath it not a single f in Greek? So might be frâz, and take with it the Greek Precispomene, its right.
But if we spell praise thus, prayes we alter the sense. Why the Eyes are as much in the dark to distinguish sound, as the Ears are put to silence at the shape of Letters, and which of these is the fitter judge in this Controversy, to bring knowledge to the Understanding? That is to be observ’d well: But what’s Learnt in Childhood is uncontroulable, as good as prescription of an hundred years, and a School-Dames authority is irrefragable, as the Proverb says, Early crookes the Tree, that will good Cambrill be: That to unlearn a Youthful Error, is more than to serve an Apprentiseship, or take the Degree of a Doctor or Serjeant. For these are deaf and dumb to Learn the contrary, as the dead Letters they have Learn’d, though I am loath to compare them to the English Doctor Burnet’s Antidiluvian People pettrify’d in the Alps, which he saw in his Travails:
But in some parts they speak as we spell: Though the Countryman of the North in Apron and Iron, pronounce o after r, and we before it: Why should we keep their spelling, having lost their speech, and why should they not still keep their spelling of old, who still keep the speech? ’Tis this thought by some of the Learned, that English is the hardest Language in the World; for that Foreigners coming over, being past Children, never have our speech right, but may be discern’d to be no English born, whereas we after a short abode in out-Lands, speak their Tongue as well as Natives: Our folk being a mixture of many Nations, is so of Languages: But ’tis a wonder, so free as we are to take in their words, we take not in their Letters also. The Latines have but Twelve Consonants, and Five Vowels, and h, but the Greek and Hebrew may furnish us with Letters. The Neighbouring Countries are at a loss for them as well as we. If our credit be good, we want to borrow Two letters of the Greek, Gama, and Theta, and Four of the Hebrew, Thaleth, He, Aim, and Shin, and we should be set up, and with what shift we can make of our own.
In the first place what is the English of Quotus? But now my Pen is silenc’d, except I borrow the Two Greek Letters, and Thaleth of the Hebrew, and the Acute, and Greek Circumflex, to tell how Gótham, Gotherd, or gather, is to be red, and which is ment of the 24.
Gôtham, [G]ôtham, Gótham, [G]ótham, Gô[t]am, [G]ó[t]am, Gó[t]am, [G]ó[t]am, Gô[c]am, [G]ô[c]am, Gó[c]am, [G]ó[c]am, Gothâm, [G]othâm, Gothâm, [G]othâm, Go[t]âm, [G]o[t]âm, Go[t]ám, [G]o[t]ám, Go[c]âm, [G]o[c]âm, Gothâm, Go[c]âm.
[G] is Gama, [T] is Theta, [D] Thaleth; ’tis strange my Tongue should be longer than my Arms, without eking. ’Tis hard for Dunces to understand this as all willful Fools are. Humble humility is better than the miserable wisdom of the merciless knowledge of error. Cunning fooleries and vanities unlock’d for, to spell the same sound diverse ways, and when you have all done, you are but where you was, as prayes, praise, prasy. For why may not y stand for nothing after s, as well as after a, as may: But where no reason there is for custom, custom is no reason. Dasye, and dayes is all one. As the fool thinks, so the Bell chinks, for our Letters are like Wimondes-woles Bells. Sure if we have these tricks, we have more. Why if y doth no good, it doth nothing. But I have a mind it shall stand an out-side there out of the way, as daisy, is dayes. Doth (GOD) spell the Creator, it spells an Hebrew Letter as well. If you hold your book the wrong end upward. I’ve nothing to say against it, for ’tis your own, and you may hold it as you please.